Maughan claims Ulster senior title

Cavan coach Brian McKeown delighted with protégé’s success.

The exciting 18-year-old Cavan Boxing Club fighter Eamon Maughan followed up on expectations by taking the Ulster Senior middleweight title in Belfast this week. Eamon had a successful career at underage level and handled the step up to senior level with both confidence and experience to out-gun tournament favourite and former provincial champion Ryan Cleary in a cracking contest at 75 kilo.

The exciting style of new face on the block Maughan against the strong, experienced, heavy-hitting Cleary was always going to test the Cavan teenager. It promised to be a thriller and left no one disappointed after three rounds of exciting and non stop action.

Maughan made a great start using both speed and power and clever box fighting tactics to frustrate the heavy hitting Cleary to take the opening session.

It was more of the same in round two and while the Cavan prospect appeared to control both the pace and ring, the older Cookstown man was always dangerous but becoming even more predictable for the sharp counter-punching skills of Maughan, often falling short with his dangerous long overhand right.

Round three became a real war of attrition as the Cavan fighter slowed and got drawn into a war of attrition with his more mature and physical opponent but Eamon held his own often turning his opponent o nto sharp combination counters with Cleary’s frustration becoming very obvious as he grew more dependent on the big shot for victory.

While the contest was called out as a very surprising split decision, there was always only be going to be one winner and the Cavanman came home a well deserved champion.

Eamon now joins his brother Thomas, Ulster Senior super heavyweight champion, and can approach the national seniors with a degree of confidence after shaking off the lockdown ring rust with three rounds of boxing against a strong, aggressive and very experienced opponent.

Cavan coach Brian McKeown was delighted with his protégé’s success and stated that his hard work, diligence and boxing technique paid dividends on the night and a deserving champion. A good underage career saw Eamon have his share of bad luck and coming from a small rural club he has had his share of bad calls with one in particular stinking but he has battled on and become a credit to Cavan BC and an inspiration to all the club’s young boxers.